Business Studies

Our reformed A-level encourages students to study and engage with the real business world. The course content and assessments allow students to follow real business developments and think critically about contemporary business issues. Most of the assessment material is based on real business situations.

What will I study?

Year 12

All of our students following this course will study business in a variety of contexts (e.g. large/small, UK focused/global, service/manufacturing.) When examining these businesses students will focus closely on:

the four functional areas of a business; finance, marketing HR and operations

the interrelated nature of business functions and how they affect competitiveness

the competitive environment and the markets in which businesses operate

the influences on functional decisions and plans including ethical and environmental issues

the importance of decision making and the factors that might determine whether a decision is successful e.g. the quality of data and the degree of uncertainty

how technology is changing the way decisions are made and how businesses operate and compete

the impact on stakeholders of functional decisions and their response to such decisions

use of non-quantitative and quantitative data in decision making (including the interpretation of index numbers and calculations such as ratios and percentages)

Year 13

Students who choose to stay and continue A2 study will then build on their AS knowledge to focus more on wider strategic decision making. Students will have the opportunity to learn about:

the impact of technology on strategic decision making

the influences of Corporate Social Responsibility, ethical and environmental issues on strategic decisions

the difficulties in forecasting future trends

the importance of assessing feasibility and risk when making strategic decisions

the impact on stakeholders of strategic decisions and their response to such decisions.

How will I be assessed?

AS

Assessment Structure two examinations in total each worth 50% of the AS grade:

Paper 1:

written exam 1 hour and 30 minutes

80 marks

50% of AS

Paper 2:

written exam 1 hour and 30 minutes

80 marks

50% of AS

A2

Assessment Structure three examinations in total each worth one third of the A2 grade:

Paper 1:

written exam 2 hours

100 marks

33.33% of A2

Paper 2:

written exam 2 hours

100 marks

33.33% of A2

Paper 3:

written exam 2 hours

100 marks

33.33% of A2

Where can it lead?

Students go on to university or into the job market to pursue careers in Marketing, Events Management and Bookkeeping. The Applied General Certificate compliments a range of other subjects such as Fashion and Sport that students may wish to pursue in higher education.